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President Cyril Ramaphosa in Durban
President Cyril Ramaphosa says there are tangible signs that the Presidential eThekwini Working Group has addressed some service delivery issues in the Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
The group has brought together different spheres of government as well as business and organised labour to tackle the problems in Durban.
Ramaphosa says the group must focus on encouraging investment and economic growth. He attended a meeting with officials as well as representatives of business and labour in Durban on Tuesday.
“We will seek to identify areas where barriers impede the growth of your businesses. But in this regard we need cooperation. We need you to point out those areas where there are barriers, where there are impediments, where there are silly rules that we have set up that make the success of your businesses difficult. We need to make sure that we lay out the red carpet and take out the barriers and the bureaucracy.”
The extension of the Presidential #eThekwini Working Group – as requested by the social partners – is both a vote of confidence and a recognition that the journey is not yet complete.
Together, we can move eThekwini from stabilisation to catalytic growth.…
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) March 3, 2026
Meanwhile, Co-operative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa explains what should be done to encourage investment.
“We will support the city and the line departments in focusing the next trenche of effort where it matters most. For instance accelerating water and sanitation upgrades and reducing non-revenue water, improving electricity distribution reliability alongside the city’s IPP pathways, and consolidating the gains in safety and security coordination.”
